Impressionable Minds…BBFC archive reveals how the Prime of Miss Jean Brodie got saddled with an X certificate

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The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie was classified X by the BBFC in January 1969. Twentieth Century Fox asked the Board to reconsider in order to allow a wider audience to appreciate the film, believing that an X certificate implied that a film was more extreme or adult than they considered their production of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie to be. BBFC Director John Trevelyan explains to Fox, in a letter published here, that the X certificate will remain due to the potential for the eponymous teacher to influence young girls, and that in a sense our decision is a compliment to the film and to [Maggie Smith's] performance . …Read the full article

Mrs. Doubtfire…BBFC up the rating from PG to 12 uncut for the upcoming UK Blu-ray release

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Mrs. Doubtfire is a 1993 US comedy by Chris Columbus With Robin Williams & Sally Field. UK: Passed 12 for moderate sex references for: UK 2013 20th Century Fox RB Blu-ray at UK Amazon released on 4th March 2012 Censorship History Passed PG-13 in the US Originally passed 12 uncut by the BBFC for 1993 cinema release. However the distributors decided to cut out the fruity innuendo for a PG rated cinema release. See cuts details from movie-censorship.com removed of 13 seconds of dialogueMrs. Doubtfire: You know, dear! Sink the sub! Hide the Weasel? Park the porpoise? Bit of the old humpty dumpty? Little Jack Horny? The horizontal Mambo? Stuart: Mrs. Doubtfire…. Mrs. Doubtfire: The bone dance, eh? Rumpleforeskin? Baloney bop? Bit of the old cunning linguistics? Hm? Stuart : Mrs. Doubtfire, please! The cut PG cinema version was then released for the 1984 VHS and the same version continued to be released for home until the 2001 DVD The cuts were waived in 2003 for a still PG rated DVD release which was reissued in 2007 without BBFC submission. In 2012 the BBFC upped the certificate to 12 uncut for the 2013 Blu-ray release. Promotional Material Robin Williams stars as difficult actor and husband, Daniel Hillard, who separates acrimoniously from his wife (Sally Field) and receives a court order limiting his visits to his children. As a result he dresses up as a Scottish nanny and gets gainful employment with his ex-wife looking after his own kids. Directed by Chris Columbus (Home Alone).

Rated H for Hype…Ridley Scott’s Prometheus is rated R by the MPAA

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8th May 2012. Thanks to goatboy See article from theflickcast.com

theflickcast.comwrites: For all of you who have been buying into the drama surrounding Prometheus‘ ultimate rating, we have some good news for you. Fox has confirmed that the moody, dark and probably terrifying sci-fi film will indeed be rated R for sci-fi violence including intense images, and brief language. Many people never believed that a PG-13 rating was possible for the subject matter, so when it took this long to get a confirmed rating people were getting nervous. It also didn’t help that Ridley Scott has been telling people conflicted things about the movie, the process and the rating for months now. …Read the full article Update: BBFC 15 Rated 10th May 2012. See article from entertainmentcocktail.com The BBFC have rated Prometheus a 15 uncut for Intense images and brief strong language. This was confirmed by Fox studio execs at a press conference, they said: Fox confirms there will be no edit to Prometheus to secure a lower rating, it will be a 15. Update: BBFC 15 Officially Conformed 11th May 2012. See article from bbfc.co.uk The BBFC have now officially rated Prometheus as 15 uncut for ‘strong violence, gore, threat and horror’ for: UK 2012 cinema release in 2D and 3D

A Repressive Rabbit Regime…BBFC highlight decisions contributing to the perennially complained about Watership Down

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While the film has a happy ending and contains many positive messages for young audiences about bravery, friendship and the environment, younger or more sensitive viewers have found some scenes upsetting or worrying. The BBFC has received complaints about the suitability of Watership Down at U almost every year since its classification. Read about how the original examiners came to their decision in the attached documents and see whether you agree. …Read the full article

Don’t Try Watching This at Home Children…Children’s TV programme, Alex Mack, rated 15 by the BBFC and now explained

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Thanks to goatboy 9th February 2012. See article from bbfc.co.uk

The BBFC have sparked a fair bit of web chatter of their rating for the first season DVD of The Secret World of  Alex Mack. This was passed 15 uncut for potentially dangerous behaviour that may be copied. For anyone who doesn’t know, it’s a sweet natured children’s show that ran at 10am on Channel 4 in the 1990′s. The distributors seems to have advised retailers that it would be PG rated, so presumably that is what they were expecting. Update: BBFC credibility takes a tumble 11th February 2012. See article from bbfc.co.uk The BBFC added the following remark to their website page re the 15 rated Alex Mack decision: One episode in this TV series contains a scene in which a child character hides inside a tumble drier. The presentation of this behaviour is comic and no negative consequences are shown which would warn young viewers of the potential dangers of hiding in such appliances. While fatal incidents of children trapped in washing machines or fridges are rare, there remains sufficient cause for serious concern. At U, BBFC Guidelines state No potentially dangerous behaviour which young children are likely to copy. At PG, the Guidelines state No detail of potentially dangerous behaviour which young children are likely to copy. A cut was, therefore, advised if the work was to obtain the U category as requested by the distributor, or even a PG classification. The BBFC has taken this approach with previous works aimed at children such as ROCKETMAN and LILO & STITCH. The distributor indicated that they would be happy to accept a higher certificate rather than cutting the episode. The TV series is rather dated and would not have much appeal to a young audience when compared to current children’s TV programmes. In addition, as the work was being targeted at an adult nostalgia market, children would not be the natural audience. The BBFC decided – given the work’s history, the company’s willingness to accept a higher certificate and that the work was not being aimed at children – to pass it 15 without cuts. This certificate sends a clear signal to parents that it contains material which may be harmful to younger viewers. The BBFC considered the possibility of a 12 certificate, given that the scene is unlikely to be harmful to those over 12. However, given the potential dangers involved, it was considered less likely that parents might allow their children to view the work if it has a more restrictive classification.

Twisted Censorship…Twisted Metal computer game has a mixed reception from the world’s game censors

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Britain’s game censors at the BBFC have awarded Twisted Metal an uncut 18 rating for strong bloody violence. They kindly explain their decision: Twisted Metal is a racing game in which drivers uses various weapons to destroy opponents. The game was classified 18 for strong bloody violence. The game includes a series of cutscenes which use a mixture of live action and CGI to tell the back-story of each character. These include an attack on a family, a defensive attack on a character with a pair of scissors, and a dead woman lying on the road. Although the BBFC’s Guidelines permit strong violence at 15, the dark tone of the stories and the involvement of a sadistic and predatory serial killer mean the game is more appropriately classified at 18. The game also includes infrequent use of strong language. The game in its original format is rated Mature in the US, which is basically a 17 age rating. However the game seems to be causing problems in Europe, presumably with the German censors who don’t care for violence in video games. The European version of the game has therefore been delayed in order to tone down the violent content. Whilst the US will be receiving the game on February 14, the European version has been delayed until March. Explaining the changes on NeoGAF, series creator David Jaffe posted that: To be fair, there have not been that many cuts. For example, in the scene we’ve released on the net from the intro- where the girl stabs Tooth in the eye- the SCEE version has this but we cut away right before the scissors make contact with Tooth’s face. It’s CLEAR what she’s doing and I think we even keep the sound effects in and such- but the last few frames are gone. The story itself tho totally works and- for some folks even who tend to think this kinda stuff plays better left to your imagination anyway- perhaps it even works better. Only a few content cuts for the game- for example, I think the guy on the gurney from Meat Wagon is dead so you are exploding a corpse covered with TNT vs. a screaming man trapped to the gurney. Sucks on my end but at the same time, I get it and the game play isn’t different and the intent is still there, as is the humor. In some ways, it’s actually much more macabre when you think about it. Shooting a dude screaming out the back of an ambulance is pretty stupid and fun and cartoony in a dark, twisted way. Turning a stolen from the morgue CORPSE a missile? A bit more disturbing in some ways…not trying to sell you on it, just thinking out loud. The game has been passed MA 15+ in Australia without cuts, but it is speculated that cut European Version was submitted. Of course it is also unsure which version was submitted to the UK’s BBFC.

Twelve Fucks and Fifteen Cocksuckers…J. Edgar rated 15 for infrequent strong language

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The BBFC have rated Clint Eastwood’s J. Edgar as 17 for infrequent strong language. The decision is explained in the Extended Classification Information: J. EDGAR is a biopic of J.Edgar Hoover, the founder and head of the FBI. It was classified 15 for infrequent strong language. The BBFC’s Guidelines at 12A/12 state The use of strong language (for example, ‘fuck’) must be infrequent. The film contains only one use of ‘f***ing’, which would have been permissible at 12A. However, it also contains two uses of cruder language (in this case ‘c***sucker’) that were more appropriately classified at 15 where the Guidelines state There may be frequent use of strong language. None of the language is personally directed or accompanied by violence, but is spoken in a derogatory manner about political opponents who are not present at the time. The film also contains some moderate violence during shootouts between police and mobsters. However, the violence is almost always bloodless and lacking in injury detail. … The film also contains some mild bad language, such as damn and Jesus Christ. There are a couple of uses of the term negro, although the term is not used in a pejorative sense, simply reflecting the common terminology of the period in which the film is set. The historical nature of the term and the lack of intent to offend is reinforced by sight of Martin Luther King using it himself in a televised speech. Seems a bit harsh, but the US film censors seemed to agree that J. Edgar went beyond PG-13 and rated the film as R. Interesting to note the inconsistent use of asterisks in the BBFC piece. It let one ‘fuck’ through but censored the next. Is this the BBFC keeping the page itself down to a 12 rating?

Saving the World from Ghostly Innuendo…The BBFC explain why the rating for Ghostbusters has just increased from PG to 12A

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Ghostbusters is a comedy about a group of research scientists who go into business together hunting down ghosts and poltergeists in New York City. The film was originally classified PG uncut for cinema release in 1984 and PG for video release in 1985. However, the film has now been classified 12A for moderate sex references. The BBFC’s Guidelines at PG state there may be Mild sex references and innuendo only. The film contains a number of sex references, both verbal and visual, that exceed this allowance. Most notable is a scene in which it is implied that a ghost is performing oral sex on a man. As the man’s trousers and zip are unfastened, the camera moves to his face as he sinks back on the bed with his eyes crossed in pleasure. Later, a woman who has been possessed by a demon rolls about on a bed with a man and tells him: I want you inside me. Although these references were permitted at PG in the 1980s, when there was no classification available between PG and 15, they are now more appropriately classified at 12A where the Guidelines state Sexual activity may be briefly and discreetly portrayed. Sex references should not go beyond what is suitable for young teenagers.

Doubly Pre-cut…Pre-cuts to Stephen Frears’ Tamara Drewe

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Tamara Drewe is a 2010 UK comedy by Stephen Frears. See IMDb A pre-cut version was passed 15 after suggested cuts by the BBFC were implemented for a 15 rating for: UK 2010 cinema release (not released) The BBFC commented: This film was originally shown to the BBFC in an unfinished version. The BBFC advised the company that the film was likely to receive an 18 classification but that the requested 15 certificate could be achieved by making cuts to remove two aggressive uses of very strong language. When the finished version of the film was submitted, these aggressive uses of very strong language had been removed and the film was classified ’15. But this was still not cut enough for the distributors. The distributor Momentum further cut the film just to get a toned down customer advice: This doubly pre-cut Version was then passed 15 for: UK 2011 Technicolor/Momentum Online UK 2011 Technicolor/Momentum RB Blu-ray UK 2011 Technicolor/Momentum R2 DVD UK 2010 cinema release. The BBFC commented: Tamara Drewe was originally classified 15 on 9 July 2010 with the consumer advice Contains very strong language, strong sex and sex references. Subsequent to this to company submitted a revised version with minor changes in two scenes. In one case, some explanatory captions had been removed and in the other case, a single use of very strong language had been removed. This amended version was classified 15 on 28 July with the revised consumer advice Contains strong language, sex and sex references. The BBFC further explained the 15 rating: TAMARA DREWE is a film about a young woman who returns to her home town and ruffles feathers within the community. It was classified 15 for strong language, sex and sex references. At 15 the BBFC’s Guidelines state that There may be frequent use of strong language (for example, ‘fuck’). The strongest terms (for example, ‘cunt’) may be acceptable if justified by the context. Aggressive or repeated use of the strongest language is unlikely to be acceptable. During TAMARA DREWE there are over thirty uses of strong language and one mouthed but inaudible use of very strong language, which is drowned out by background noise. The Guidelines at 15 also state that Sexual activity may be portrayed without strong detail. There may be strong verbal references to sexual behaviour, but the strongest references are unlikely to be acceptable unless justified by context. The strong sex in the film includes a scene in which a man thrusts into a woman during sex. In another sequence, a character takes off her knickers and lies on a counter as a man stands in front of her prior to offscreen sex. However neither of these scenes contain any strong visual detail. The verbal sex references include a teenage schoolgirl fantasising about a man licking her teapot lids, and elsewhere she makes a reference to her v-plates melting. She also fantasies about lying on a bed with a man entering the room before lifting her into his arms, but the scene ends before any sexual activity takes place. Throughout the film there is occasional sight of nudity, such as when Tamara is seen lying naked on her bed with her buttocks visible. Other scenes also feature her naked, but without any strong detail. The film also contains a brief verbal reference to a character having grown marijuana in the past, while there is occasional sight of characters (including teenage girls) smoking cigarettes. In one scene, two characters fantasise that another may have tried to commit suicide and this is represented by a vision of the would-be victim lying on the floor beside a bottle of pills, with vomit on her clothing. However this is merely a fantasy, with the character in question not carrying out such an act.

Harry Potter and the Gears of War…Recent classifications from the BBFC

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Gears of War 3 Based on article from bbfc.co.uk The much anticipated video game, Gears of War 3 has been passed 18 uncut with the BBFC comment: Contains strong bloody violence. The game contains of 90 minutes of cut scenes (video inserts) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 Based on article from bbfc.co.uk Meanwhile the final Harry Potter film has been passed 12A uncut with the BBFC comment: Contains moderate threat, injury detail and language. The film will be shown in 3D.